Category: Beauty

You have 27% body fat.

That was how the doctor casually said it. My heart jumped. I could not believe it! Although I was not expecting anything, the fact that I have 27% body fat makes me feel sad. Aww…Hahaha. It’s hard for it to sink in.

Today I attended a free consultation with Marie France Bodyline in Orchard and had myself pampered with a body wrap sample for 25 minutes. I saw the ad last week and thought to give it a try. I want to know more about myself and the trial was free of charge so I took the “bait” and prepared a strong mindset as not to be pushed by the usual forceful consultants to purchase their sets of high-priced treatments whatsoever.

I arrived at their place early. Upon reaching, the receptionist handed me an information sheet for me to fill out. Then she offered me a cup of green tea while waiting for the doctor who will analyze how much body fat I need to lose, how many sessions I will have to take and the type of slimming therapy I need to go through.

After around 10 minutes, the doctor greeted me, introduced herself, quickly measured my height manually and had me step into an electronic weighing scale which measured the amount of excess body fat I need to drop.

Height: 158cm
Weight: 47kg
BMI: 18.8

With these, I fall under the category Normal, however the doctor said that I need to lose 3kg more. She said the normal percentage of body fat I need to maintain is only 17% while I have 27%. Actually my weight varies in a rather consistent manner in a range from 45kg to 47kg. She asked about my eating habits.

Well, I’m a vegetarian; I don’t eat fatty stuff, I take boiled vegetables every day, I don’t consume much carbo and I don’t eat too much sweets. She asked if I exercise.

Yes, I do regularly. I swim, perform several kinds of dances, yoga stretches and cardiovascular activities in the gym. I do about 100 situps and crunches every day plus jumping jacks which I cannot count. I hate sitting around in a long period of time. My housemates, friends and relatives can all testify to this. : ))

In return, my questions to her were: How can you confirm that your machine got accurate results in terms of knowing the amount of body fat? How was it able to calculate the body fat I have when it only took the value of my weight against my height?

If the other body measurements (e.g. wrist, thigh, waist, hips, chest, etc.) were not put into the equation, then can we assume that every person who has this combination of weight-height has the same percentage of body fat?

She could not reply. *rolls eyes* Oh my God. What an awkward moment. Instead, she recommended the packaged treatments tailored to my body needs which cost S$3000 inclusive of 30 sessions of cold body wrap that burns fats, slimming massage and fat mobilization with the use of their machine. Additionally, she said that these treatments do not require exercise and dieting. And because they are running a promotion now, I can get to have all these at a discounted price of S$1000.

Still, No, thanks, Doctor. Even if the prices were cut down by half, I won’t go for it. I’d prefer my natural way of slimming down.

And maybe, if I had just let out the honest evil in me, I’d turn the table and ask her if she wants to follow my program—because the doctor was fat herself. Oh my God +1. Amen to that.

If there is one thing about my skin that makes me crazy, it’s those icky blackheads and oil formed during the day. I cleanse, exfoliate, tone and apply moisturizer regularly to keep my face plagued with these clogged pores that seem almost impossible to banish for good.

I have been using Pond’s products since like secondary school. It’s my family’s trusted brand as Pond’s facial skin care products deliver truly promising results.

Just last week, I saw an ad in Facebook and became intrigued on Bioré’s latest product, the Marshmallow Whip Facial Wash. I think it’s not yet available in the Philippines. The facial foam mixture looks so soft and cute that I bought it today instantly at Watsons.

In this post, I present the comparison between Bioré’s facial wash versus Pond’s clear solutions anti-bacterial facial scrub.

1. Price

Bioré costs S$13.9 for 150mL, while Pond’s is like S$17.4 for 100mL. There isn’t much difference so cost is not a strong factor for comparison.

2. Fragrance

Bioré is odorless (or it’s just me who didn’t smell it). Pond’s has a clean soapy smell.

3. Texture

Bioré lives up to its marshmallow name. It’s bouncy, fluffy and dense, which can probably suit babies’ skin. In contrast, Pond’s anti-bacterial facial scrub has soft beads that make you feel that all the dirt, oil, makeup and dead, dull skin cells are being removed as you gently massage your face in washing.

4. Instructions

Same set of steps apply for the products. First is wet your face. Second is apply an ample amount of the facial wash onto your face, massage in circular motion and then rinse.

5. Results

My face feels clean and smooth after using both products, but I think Pond’s gives me a squeakier clean, the kind of feeling as though moisture has been stripped from my skin. So I guess using Bioré is just right (no need moisturizer afterwards). I also love that it has a pump stopper thing (I have no idea what that’s called) at the neck of the bottle.

This part of functional design is very useful for when traveling, the pump stopper helps to ensure that the contents of the bottle won’t spill out in your luggage unlike most dispensers.

The Verdict?

Both ok lah, bo pien.

Thanks for reading!

Raise your hand if you think you’re fat.

Most women I know think they look fat—even those who do exercise routines and are on some diet and who wear size small in clothes. For those who are constantly trying to struggle with losing weight (and like me, scared of gaining love handles), I have good news to share with you. No, this isn’t going to be another health-related or body-building article. This is about fashion.

Every day I observe how ordinary people in the streets wear their clothes. I found that no matter how many clothing stores and high-end fashion lines today are emerging like mushrooms and reality TV shows showing tips on what to wear to complement and butter up one’s body, the common people still prefer to be “practical.” They normally just are clad with a plain T-shirt as top and denim jeans as bottom regardless if they look outrageously podgy.

What we wear speaks for us. Does this imply that these people I see in pacific thoroughfares wearing unflattering clothing don’t really care whatever or however they seem or appear to be? Oh well, the high-fat look is already their usual getup. But hey, if you’re the type who cares about your image, you have to be more careful and responsible in how you choose and wear your clothes. Yes, you can look thinner throughout the day without surgery or drastic diet. The trick: fashion.

From various people I have “scrutinized” and books and magazines I have read for improving the way of dressing up, I have learned the following things:

Anything of the same color for the top and the bottom is absolutely a no-no, unless you really want to stand out and look ridiculous. For example, shocking pink shirt with pink pants, or striking red blouse with red leggings. Oh! Hot…not.

Have a wide face? Pass up skinny brows that make the face look bigger. For eyewear, sport rectangular frames instead of round and square ones. For other accessories, shun away from dangling earrings. Instead, go for medium-sized, teardrop or stud earrings and long pendant necklaces with a big charm that doesn’t rest on the top of your chest.

On the heavy side? Big sweater, pleated skirt, balloon skirt and sweat pants make you look flabbier and frumpier. Your shirt or sweater should reflect your true size, not a size or two larger. Excuse yourself from shirts with round collars, giant hoop earrings or a thick headband, or anything that has teeth, claws or looks like it belongs to a Christmas tree.

Have a heavy top? Trash those bulky, across-the-body messenger or shoulder bags. Say goodbye to super voluminous tops that fit for maternity wear. Baby-doll dresses that try to hide the stomach are best left to kids. These types of blouses can more often than not make you look like you’re really pregnant. Also, avoid shirts with patch pockets and never wear anything turtleneck.

Have a cheeky face? Long, flowing layered hair with side-swept bangs gives the illusion of a slimmer visage.

Have a Buddha belly? Try to fit in a dress with an empire cut. This is because trendy silhouette creates higher waistline. To hide a wide tummy, wear lean jeans, slim pants or pencil skirt. Avoid wearing high-waist or thick waist-cinching belt that will only accentuate your tummy.

Have batwing arms? V-neck tops with three-fourth sleeves are best for you. Instead of a boxy blazer, go for a cropped jacket. Trade a denim jacket with a motocross jacket, and don’t even consider wearing a top with cap, puff or worse, banded sleeves.

Have thunder thighs? Please avoid wearing skinny jeans, especially when tucked in boots or paired with flats and espadrilles. Also, avoid cargo pants and peasant skirts that tier across the hips, tulip and trumpet skirts, pleated skirts and pants, micro-minis and shorts. Wide-leg pants, pencil skirts and wrap dresses that end just below the knee can make you look polished.

Fashion can be everything—it’s a way of life. Through a mix of pieces hither and thither, you can make things possible. If you’re fat, you can look thinner and the reverse is also true. We live in a time now when fashion is part of our daily lives and fashion with all its fabulous guises taking center stage.

So before you take that doorstep to the outside world, make sure to go by these general guidelines at least and follow not what’s in but what’s in and fitting for you.

Okay. So, at the beginning of the year, a local TV news program has aired in its features section a new diet for the year. It’s a low fat diet plan with the aim of continuing people’s quest to conquer weight loss once and for all. My bet? It won’t work.

It’s almost impossible to read anything these days without finding another diet staring you in the face. At the supermarket checkout, there are inevitable ladies’ magazines, each with a brand-new diet, guaranteed to make you slim forever.

The racks are filled with new (and expensive) magazines and books with bright covers pushing new diets, and they too guarantee that your body shape become that of become Olive’s—Popeye’s girlfriend—or somewhat.

There must be 10 new, supposedly foolproof diets promoted every day. Usually, books make claims in bold font face that you can eat all you want of the food you like. After all, who wants to read about a new diet that expects you to give up good food when that’s what you are probably doing already?

Well, you can take heart because the diets that tell you to give up the food you like don’t work. It should be obvious that when 10 new diets-each one claiming to be perfect-are published each day, there is something fishy going on. The problem is that diets don’t work in the first place. There is no diet now, and there never will be a diet that cures an overweight problem cold turkey. The reason for this is that diets don’t attack the fundamental problem of the fat person.

You see, most people think that losing weight is the basic problem. In fact, most fat people make a profession of losing weight. The fat guy says, “I just can’t lose weight.” Sure, diets help people lose weight but the problem area they need to focus on more is gaining weight.

Fat people gain weight so easily and quickly that they soon have more fat than they have just lost. Another problem is that something inside is making them gain weight faster than other people do. Something in their body chemistry must have been favoring the deposit of fat.

When a naturally skinny person gains 1000 calories, all of them gets burned or wasted. When a fat person eats the same amount of calories, perhaps only 900 of them are used up and the remaining 100 are all converted to fat. The fat person’s body adjusts somehow to the making of excess fat.

The conclusion has to be: Yes, people who have gotten too fat may need to go on a diet to get the fat off. Once most of the excess fat is off, however, they are really only at the beginning of their “treatment.” At that point, they must tackle the real problem.

How can they change their body chemistry so that they won’t have such a tendency to make fat out of the food they eat? How can they avoid getting fat all over again? There is a way, of course. We can’t make the super-fat into a super-skinny, but we can improve everyone a little.

If you want to lose fat, take it from me: eat less and exercise more! Sure, you can follow a diet plan but it will be effective if you turn it into a healthy lifestyle. If you want to learn more, you are welcome to read my article in Triond in relation to this subject: Lose Fat Like Counting 1-2-3!